Somebody sent me an email questioning the Digital Tradition lyrics to "John o' Dreams," and I figured I'd better check. I found two Bill Caddick performances, but he leaves out the last verse in the first one. Here's my transcription. Differences from the Digital Tradition are in italics. Any corrections?
-Joe-


JOHN O' DREAMS
(Bill Caddick)

When midnight sings, good people homeward tread;
Seek now your blankets and your feather bed.
Home is a rover, his journey's over.
Yield up the nighttime to old John o' Dreams,
Yield up the nighttime to old John o' Dreams.

Across the hill the sun has gone astray;
Tomorrow's cares are many dreams away.
The stars are flying, your candle's dying,
Home is the rover, her journey's over.
Yield up the darkness to old John o' Dreams,
Yield up the darkness to old John o' Dreams.

Both man and master in the night are one;
All things are equal when the day is done.
The Prince and the Ploughman, the slave and the freeman.
All find their comfort with old John o' Dreams,
All find their comfort with old John o' Dreams.

Now as you sleep the dreams come winging clear;
The hawks of morning cannot harm you here.
Sleep is your river, float on forever,
And for your boatman choose old John o' Dreams,
And for your boatman choose old John o' Dreams.

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Words copyright by Bill Caddick, Music by Tchaikovsky (tune
borrowed from a southern Italian lullabye entitled Piva Piva).

I listened to this Bill Caddick performance - he stops after the first line of the fourth verse, so I can't verify the fourth verse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlDMBojZbpE

A kindly Mudcatter sent me a Bill Caddick studio recording of the song from an album titled Unicorns-Disk 1, so the above is my transcription from the two Bill Caddick recordings.

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Here are the Mudcatter's notes, comparing Caddick to the Redpath recording:

Hi Joe
Bill re-recorded this for a CD 'Unicorns' in 2002. The version there is similar to the Jean Redpath version, but with several small differences.

Some changes sound much better to me:
'The prince and _the_ ploughman...'

Some worse:
'When midnight _sings_ ...'
'Home _is_ a rover.'.'
'_Float_ on forever'..'

Which is 'right' I've no idea. Anyway, have a listen.